


The Saviour of Christmas

by alittlebriton



Series: Tentacletober [4]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Tentacles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-22 16:42:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20877401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlebriton/pseuds/alittlebriton
Summary: Prompt: Tentacles save the dayBeing a parent is all about anticipation. But neither Magnus nor Alec could anticipate that Max would want something quite this rare.





	The Saviour of Christmas

“I can’t see any!” Alec yelps frantically, his head scanning the horizon, glaring as if he could will some into existence.

“It’s ok, they told me on the phone they were going to get some more in this afternoon. Maybe they just haven’t put them out yet.” Magnus tries to soothe his husband, but the way Alec’s fingers are twitching, he’s about five seconds away from grabbing a Seraph Blade and threatening the nearest Mundane for information.

“All I see are empty shelves and labels saying they’re out of stock!”

Magnus sighs and snags a harried-looking sales person.

“Excuse me,” he starts, but the pale and trembling girl just shakes her head.

“They went. If you’re after a Cubby, they’ve gone. We’re rooting through the most recent delivery but so far it’s a lot of Owleez and some hatching Toothless toys.” Her eyes light up. “Wait, did you want an Owleez or a Toothless?”

Magnus shakes his head and her shoulders slump.

“Nope. We came for the horribly named Cubby the Curious Bear.” No matter how many times he says it, it still sounds like the title of a very bad gay porno. It makes him giggle, and Alec kicks his ankle sharply.

“This is what we get for sending him to a Mundane playgroup,” Alec hisses at him and the salesgirl frowns at them in confusion. Magnus lets her go with a smile and a thanks and she disappears into the throng, only to be inundated by other frantic parents.

“I’m sure Max will understand.”

Alec turns to face Magnus, grabbing his upper arms and shaking him slightly. His husband looks crazed, but then, he has been taking on most of the parenting recently while Magnus dealt with an in-depth research project that had drawn him back to the Spiral Labyrinth for the past month. He’d emerged in time for the Christmas countdown and a pile of presents Alec had already bought their son, only for Max to announce that if he didn’t get a Cubby then his life was over and Santa hated him.

Alec had been _very_ pointed in his assessment of where Max got his dramatic streak from.

“Max is going to be shunned by his friends, Magnus. Max will think Santa has abandoned him and that he’s not a good kid. _Max will cry_.” Alec doesn’t look that far from tears himself.

“We’ll try another shop,” Magnus reasons, only to watch in fascination as Alec practically vibrates with worry.

“They will all be sold out! This is - apparently- the toy to end all toys! And of course our son would announce just four days before Christmas that his very happiness is dependent upon this freaking, moving, fake-fur covered bear!”

Alec is attracting strangely sympathetic looks from other parents now, and Magnus swears he sees a mother nodding and jamming her elbow into her partner’s ribs as if to say ‘I told you so’. The movement allows his gaze to fall on a door, opening at the back of the shop, where an employee is carrying various rectangular plastic boxes. The lettering on one catches his attention and he grasps Alec’s wrist, pinching it sharply.

“Ow, what? Who cares if I’m making a scene, I… oh!” Magnus physically drags Alec round so he can see what Magnus sees. One lone Cubby in a sea of other toys.

“You run interference. I’ll grab it,” he whispers, and Alec nods grimly, suddenly all flailing limbs that get in the way of other shoppers as Magnus shoulders his way through the crowd, making a beeline for his goal. Out of the corner of his eye he sees another father, face red as he too sprints towards the hapless employee. Magnus won’t make it first unless he takes drastic measures.

He sighs internally. The things he does for his family.

Just a small push of will and a rearrangement of matter, dropping his glamour for a moment, and a tentacle darts out and snags the man’s trousers by the ankle, sending him sprawling into a display of soft llama plushies. They all - including the fallen Mundane - make a bleating sound.

Two more tentacles whip out, one holding up the toys on top of the Cubby box and the other claiming it lightning fast, pulling it into Magnus’ hands. He looks around quickly to see if anyone needs a few seconds of memories erased, but it seems most people are distracted by the man digging himself out of llama toys, which continue to cave in on him as he struggles to rise to the surface. The only person he can see looking at him is a women shaking her head at him with a small grin on her face. A second of her eyes changing into slits like snakes, and he relaxes. He doesn’t mind being caught using his powers for this less-than-virtuous way by another Warlock. Besides, judging by the number of shopping bags she has, she understands that parenthood is full of taking the easy way whenever you can because it’s damn _hard._

He grins back at her unrepentantly and turns as Alec meets him, looking so delighted to see him that Magnus is swept away back to when they first met and Alec’s expression would light up whatever room Magnus had just walked into. Then he realises Alec is looking at the box in his hands and crooning to it under his breath and he rolls his eyes.

“Fatherhood has changed you,” he says. “In the New Year I’m taking us away to Paris for a weekend and Maryse can babysit.”

“Whatever you want, you wonderful Warlock.” Alec raises his gaze to Magnus and gives him his full smile, the one that shows all his teeth and makes him look ten years younger. He leans in and kisses Magnus with rather too much tongue for 4pm on a Thursday in the middle of FAO Schwartz, but to be honest, Magnus isn’t going to complain. He’s been away from Alec for too many nights.

“You’re the saviour of Christmas. We can have a whole week.”

“Oh can we?” Magnus raises his eyebrows and starts to march them over to the register to pay for their over-priced bear. “Then, husband of mine, I think we have some toy shopping of our own to do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Cubby the Curious Bear is a real toy, as are the other toys mentioned in this fic. I agree with Magnus that the name sounds like Furry or gay bathhouse porn.


End file.
